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Network access provider Openreach (BT) has today warned people in Northern Ireland that 35,000 of their customers have yet to migrate from the old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and on to modern IP-based digital line alternatives, including some legacy broadband lines. The switch-off has been underway for several years, but the final deadline is now only months away.
Just to recap. The PSTN / WLR switch-off is currently due to reach its conclusion on 31st January 2027. As a result, broadband, phone, telecare providers, councils and consumers have been working to migrate everybody across (details). The main focus of this remains on the people who use vital home telecare systems (e.g. elderly, disabled – vulnerable users), which aren’t always compatible with newer IP-based digital phone services (telecare providers were slow to adapt). Unresponsive customers are also proving to be a challenge.
At present 1.2 million UK lines (inc. 350,000 business premises) have yet to be migrated (i.e. 15m have already been done). But as we’ve previously reported, consumer and business lines won’t face a hard disconnection on the deadline and there will be a temporary Emergency Voice Access (eVAC) solution for those who fail to migrate – a limited last-resort phone service designed to maintain access to essential calls.